6 research outputs found

    Development of Bioactive Patch for Maintenance of Implanted Cells at the Myocardial Infarcted Site

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    [EN] Ischemia produced as a result of myocardial infarction might cause moderate or severe tissue death. Studies under development propose grafting stem cells into the affected area and we hypothesize that this mechanism could be enhanced by the application of a "bioactive implant." The implant herein proposed consists of a thin porous elastomeric membrane, filled with self-assembling nanofibers and human subcutaneous adipose tissue derived progenitor cells. We describe the development and characterization of two elastomeric membranes: poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA) and poly(caprolactone 2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl ester) (PCLMA). Both are a good material support to deliver cells within a soft self-assembling peptide and are elastic enough to withstand the stresses arising from the heartbeat. Both developed composites (PEA and PCLMA, combined with self-assembling peptide) equally facilitate the propagation of electrical pulses and maintain their genetic profile of the seeded cells. Preliminary studies with small animal models suggest that, at short times, the bioimplant shows good adhesion with the myocardium. After three days cells loaded in the patch remain alive at the implanted site. We propose that the bioactive patch (elastomeric membranes with self-assembling peptide and cells) could increase the efficacy of future cardiac cell therapy by improving cell immobilization and survival at the affected site.The authors wish to thank the Department of Cardiac Surgery (Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona) for their collaboration in obtaining human samples, Dr. Bago for his kind contribution in the cell transduction process and BLI analysis, and Joan Gilabert from Biomaterials Laboratory (GEMAT, IQS-School of Engineering) who kindly helped them with wettability measurements. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant agreement no. 229239. This work was also supported by Grants from Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (SAF2011-30067-C02-01 and M. Arnal-Pastor FPU 2009-1870 grant), Red de Terapia Celular-TerCel (RD12/0019/0029), Red Cardio-vascular (RD12/0042/0047), and Fundacio La Marato de TV3 (122232).Castells-Sala, C.; Vallés Lluch, A.; Soler-Botija, C.; Arnal Pastor, MP.; Martínez Ramos, C.; Fernandez-Muinos, T.; Mari-Buye, N.... (2015). Development of Bioactive Patch for Maintenance of Implanted Cells at the Myocardial Infarcted Site. Journal of Nanomaterials. (804017). https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/804017S80401

    Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

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    Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

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    International audienceIn 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

    Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

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